Dacian Fortresses of the Orastie Mountains
Encyclopedia
Built in murus dacicus
style, the six Dacian Fortresses of the Orăștie Mountains, in Romania
, were created in the 1st centuries BC and AD as protection against Roman
conquest.
Their extensive and well-preserved remains present a picture of a vigorous and innovative ancient civilization. Today, treasure
-hunters sometimes search the area, as Romania
lacks legislation in this domain.
The six fortresses - Sarmizegetusa Regia, Costeşti-Cetăţuie
, Costeşti-Blidaru
, Piatra Roşie
, Băniţa
and Căpâlna
- that formed the defensive system of Decebalus
were designated as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
in 1999, as well as the settlement and fortifications at Feţele Albe.
and rebuilt only to be finally destroyed by fire by Trajan
's army during the Second Dacian War
in 106 CE. The Romans then built a military camp (castrum) on the site.
. It was built in two phases. In the first phase a long (102 m) rectangular main citadel was built at the height of land with watch towers on each end and two outlying watch towers. Later the larger area inside the watch towers was enclosed with walls. It appears that the hilltop was flattened in the process in order to produce a usable space.
Murus dacicus
Murus Dacicus is a construction method for defensive walls and fortifications developed in ancient Dacia sometime before the Roman conquest...
style, the six Dacian Fortresses of the Orăștie Mountains, in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, were created in the 1st centuries BC and AD as protection against Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
conquest.
Their extensive and well-preserved remains present a picture of a vigorous and innovative ancient civilization. Today, treasure
Treasure
Treasure is a concentration of riches, often one which is considered lost or forgotten until being rediscovered...
-hunters sometimes search the area, as Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
lacks legislation in this domain.
The six fortresses - Sarmizegetusa Regia, Costeşti-Cetăţuie
Orastioara de Sus
Orăştioara de Sus is a commune in Hunedoara County, Romania. It is composed of eight villages: Bucium, Costeşti, Costeşti-Deal, Grădiştea de Munte, Ludeştii de Jos, Ludeştii de Sus, Ocolişu Mic and Orăştioara de Sus....
, Costeşti-Blidaru
Orastioara de Sus
Orăştioara de Sus is a commune in Hunedoara County, Romania. It is composed of eight villages: Bucium, Costeşti, Costeşti-Deal, Grădiştea de Munte, Ludeştii de Jos, Ludeştii de Sus, Ocolişu Mic and Orăştioara de Sus....
, Piatra Roşie
Bosorod
Boşorod is a commune in Hunedoara County, Romania. It is composed of nine villages: Alun, Bobaia, Boşorod, Chitid, Cioclovina, Luncani, Prihodişte, Târsa and Ursici.-References:...
, Băniţa
Banita
Băniţa is a commune in Hunedoara County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Băniţa, Crivadia and Merişor....
and Căpâlna
Sasciori, Alba
Săsciori is a commune located in Alba County, Romania. It has a population of 5,954, and is composed of nine villages: Căpâlna, Dumbrava, Laz, Loman, Pleşi, Răchita, Săsciori, Sebeşel and Tonea....
- that formed the defensive system of Decebalus
Decebalus
Decebalus or "The Brave" was a king of Dacia and is famous for fighting three wars and negotiating two interregnums of peace without being eliminated against the Roman Empire under two emperors...
were designated as a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
in 1999, as well as the settlement and fortifications at Feţele Albe.
Sarmizegetusa Regia
The town of Sarmizegetusa Regia was the capital and major fortress of the Dacian kingdom, probably built in the mid first century BCE. It consisted of perimeter walls and fortifications, a sacred precinct, and a settlement area primarily for nobles and supporting servants. It was located at the top of a 1200 meter hill with excellent visibility of the surrounding lands. The sacred precinct was on the east side of the town, with a prominent plaza and circular shrines. There were two settlement areas one on the east side and a larger one on the west. In addition to dwellings they included workshops, storage buildings, and agricultural processing areas. Notable for the time is a distribution system for drinking water that used ceramic pipes.Feţele Albe
Feţele Albe is a Dacian settlement on the southern side of Muncelului Hill, situated north of Sarmizegetusa Regia, separated from it by a sharp declivity. Along with numerous walls and resulting terraces, the site contained a sanctuary with circular stone pillars on the third terrace. The settlement was destroyed during the First Dacian WarFirst Dacian War
The First Dacian War took place from 101 to 102 AD. The kingdom of Dacia, under king Decebalus, had become a threat to Roman supremacy and had defeated several of Rome's armies during Domitian's reign . The emperor Trajan was set on ridding this threat to Rome's power and in 101 set out...
and rebuilt only to be finally destroyed by fire by Trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
's army during the Second Dacian War
Second Dacian War
The Second Dacian War was fought in 105 to 106 because the Dacian king Decebalus had broken his peace terms with the Roman emperor Trajan from the First Dacian War...
in 106 CE. The Romans then built a military camp (castrum) on the site.
Piatra Roşie
Piatra Roşie, which means Red Rock, was a Dacian hill fort two days march to the west from Costeşti-Cetăţuie, at Luncani in Boşorod municipalityBosorod
Boşorod is a commune in Hunedoara County, Romania. It is composed of nine villages: Alun, Bobaia, Boşorod, Chitid, Cioclovina, Luncani, Prihodişte, Târsa and Ursici.-References:...
. It was built in two phases. In the first phase a long (102 m) rectangular main citadel was built at the height of land with watch towers on each end and two outlying watch towers. Later the larger area inside the watch towers was enclosed with walls. It appears that the hilltop was flattened in the process in order to produce a usable space.
See also
- BurebistaBurebistaBurebista was a king of the Getae and Dacians, who unified for the first time their tribes and ruled them between 82 BC and 44 BC. He led plunder and conquest raids across Central and Southeastern Europe, subjugating most of the neighbouring tribes...
- List of Dacian towns
- Murus dacicusMurus dacicusMurus Dacicus is a construction method for defensive walls and fortifications developed in ancient Dacia sometime before the Roman conquest...
- Sarmizegetusa Regia